Current Events in the Americas

Hagel OKs Navy plan to modify troubled littoral combat ship fleet (Stars and Stripes) Depictions of the planned upgrades (from War is Boring)

Ships flagged for lack thereof Navy custom not observed by some By Andrew Scutro - Staff writer Posted : Sunday Jul 8, 2007 10:23:48 EDT NORFOLK, Va. — Eight ships of the 2nd Fleet caused a few internal fireworks July 4. A message from 2nd Fleet command to units of 2nd Fleet reminded all that “on President’s Day and on Independence Day every ship of the Navy in commission, not underway, shall full-dress ship.” It then tersely noted that the cruisers Cape St. George and Vella Gulf, destroyers Arleigh Burke, The Sullivans, Porter, James E. Williams, Forrest Sherman, and the dock landing ship Shreveport — all of which were in port for the holiday — were not…

From Jane's [excerpt]

Speculations in Mer et Marine about if the Super Etendard, after his retirement in late 2016, could be transferred to Argentine (I doubt it very much, because budgetary and political questions): http://www.meretmarine.com/fr/content/une-seconde-vie-en-argentine-pour-les-sem-de-laeronautique-navale

5 disciplined in Arleigh Burke grounding By Andrew Scutro - Staff writer Posted : Monday Jul 9, 2007 5:53:51 EDT NORFOLK, Va. — Cmdr. E.J. McClure, former captain of the destroyer Arleigh Burke, was administratively disciplined July 3 along with her executive officer and two other officers in a nonjudicial hearing convened in response to the ship running aground May 15. “Appropriate administrative actions” were taken against the four Arleigh Burke officers, said Lt. Cmdr. Herb Josey, public affairs officer for Naval Surface Force Atlantic. He did not disclose the nature of the actions due to privacy considerations. The commodore of Destroyer Squadron 2, C…

From Aviation Week U.S. Navy Plans EPX Intel-Gathering Aircraft Feb 22, 2008 By David A. Fulghum The U.S. Navy is asking three companies each to design an aircraft that can conduct simultaneous intelligence-gathering missions that were considered impractical, perhaps impossible, even a couple of years ago. In particular, the Navy wants a single, EPX aircraft that can use a powerful radar and at the same time operate an array of sensitive receivers that can collect faint electronic emissions or communications from hundreds of miles away. The multisource information would be fused to locate and identify objects of interest as fleeting and elusive as the low-po…

The Pentagon unveiled names of 4 new LCS-class ships: LCS-5 USS Milwaukee, LCS-6 USS Jakcson, LCS-7 USS Detroit and LCS-8 USS Montgomery. LCS-5 and LCS-7 will be trimarans, LCS-6 and LCS-8 will be monohulls.

From Jane's [excerpt]

It seems my Major Kong needs a new ride. From Danger Room [excerpt]

Defense Today February 1, 2006 Pg. 1 Designing Small Destroyer Would Cost Years, Billions Of Loss By Dave Ahearn Designing a new, much smaller destroyer would cost the Navy at least part of its $7.5 billion investment in developing the cutting-edge DD(X) destroyer that now is poised for construction, and also would mean five years or so in designing and developing what would be a far lesser warship, a key admiral said in an interview. Rear Adm. Mark Buzby, deputy director for surface warfare, said the resultant ship wouldn't provide the Navy with many capabilities it requires to counter the current and clearly foreseeable threat environment. Further…

A pilot friend of mine has a new job, but it means he will have to move from this island to a much smaller one in the Caribbean. Poor fella ... From Defense Industry Daily Canadian Firm Wins $100M Maritime Reconnaissance Contract from Dutch Posted 24-Jul-2006 07:18 In the fall of 2003, the Dutch government announced the retirement and sale of its P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft fleet, including 2 aircraft stationed at Curacao that flew missions for the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba. The Orions were sold to Germany (8) and Portugal (5), but their services needed to be replaced. Australia's contracted public-private Coastwatch approach offers a solid mod…

From AOL Defense [excerpt]

From Aviation Week Fire On Takeoff Downed B-2 Feb 26, 2008 David A. Fulghum/Aerospace Daily & Defense Report One of the pilots of the B-2 stealth bomber that crashed Feb. 23 reported a fire at takeoff from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, which was followed quickly by loss of control of the bomber, according to a senior Air Combat Command (ACC) official. The stealth bomber rolled uncontrollably to the right and fell between the taxiway and the ramp at 10:45 a.m. Guam time just after passing the control tower. It was attempting a takeoff toward the seaward end of the runway. The two pilots ejected with one being hospitalized. A dark plume of smoke arose fro…

The December 2008 issue of Air Forces Monthly has a supplement called "US Fighters: A Briefing on the USA's Fighter Capabilities", which in turn contains a current inventory of US armed forces' fighter aircraft types. I thought I'd share those numbers here: OA/A-10A Thunderbolt II Delivered: 714 (from October 1975) Current: 236 Losses: 103 Converted: 120 Withdrawn: 79 Stored: 176 A-10C Thunderbolt II Delivered: 120 (reached IOC in September 2007) Current: 120 Losses: 0 Withdrawn: 0 Stored: 0 On order: 220 F-15A Eagle Delivered: 365 (from January 1976) Current: 46 Losses: 46 Withdrawn: 96 Sold: 24 Stored: 153 F-15B Eagle Delivered: 59 (fr…

From Aviation Week President Publicly Reconsiders Marine One Feb 24, 2009 By Bettina H. Chavanne and Michael Bruno The high-profile VH-71 presidential replacement helicopter program came under the highest profile possible Monday when President Barack Obama and his former Republican rival for the White House lamented the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps project while discussing economic crises. “The helicopter I have now seems perfectly adequate to me,” Obama noted. The comment sent both the Navy, which runs the program, and manufacturer Lockheed Martin scurrying. “We are committed to the program’s success and are confident we can deliver the required number of…

From Flight Global DATE: 22/09/09 SOURCE: Flight International RAF Typhoons arrive for Falkland Islands mission By Craig Hoyle Four Eurofighter Typhoons from the UK Royal Air Force have arrived at Mount Pleasant airport in the Falkland Islands, where the type will soon replace the service's Panavia Tornado F3 to deliver air defence services. The Typhoons left RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire on 12 September accompanied by a spare aircraft, and were flown to the South Atlantic with support from in-flight refuelling aircraft. The fighters have been drawn from the RAF's 3 Sqn, but left the UK without unit markings. Pictured shortly before its departure fro…

From ARES Sikorsky's Cyclone Touches Down in Canada Posted by Graham Warwick at 3/8/2010 4:23 PM CST Sikrosky's prototype CH-148 Cyclone maritime helicopter, under development for the Canadian Forces, has arrived at CFB Shearwater, Nova Scotia, for several weeks of "ship helicopter operational limits" trials with the Halifax-class frigate HMCS Montreal. Shearwater is the home of 12 Wing, which will operate the Cyclones. It's an outward sign of progress in a program Sikorsky has said little about publicly since development delays forced it to renegotiate its contract with the Canadian government. This delayed first delivery two years, to November this yea…

Australia agrees to sell Canada $6.5b military radar system By Melissa Clarke, ABC News (Australia) It seemed like a pretty standard phone call between Anthony Albanese and new Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney overnight. The official record of the call noted congratulations to Carney and discussion of "current pressures on the global trading system" (ie US tariffs), as well as cooperation on the defence of Ukraine. But there was at least one extra topic that wasn't mentioned in the read-out: the small matter of Canada purchasing a $6.5 billion Australian military radar system. Shortly after the call, Carney headed to Iqalui…

From Jane's Navy International Northrop Grumman wins US 'Tango Bravo' contract By Richard Scott Northrop Grumman Newport News has been awarded a USD12.7 million contract by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the US Navy, to develop and test a new weapon handling and launch system, as part of the 'Tango Bravo' submarine technology exploration initiative. The new weapon handling and launch concept is predicated on eliminating the submarine's torpedo room from inside the ship's pressure hull and moving the launchers outside the hull. This change would eliminate complex machinery and free up valuable space inside the hull. The Northrop Grumm…

Navy furious over LPD 17 By Christopher P. Cavas - Staff writer Posted : Tuesday Jul 10, 2007 11:15:46 EDT Northrop Grumman has received a scathing rebuke from the secretary of the Navy for its performance on the LPD 17 amphibious ship program. The company was criticized for poor construction standards and an inability to meet cost and schedule targets — factors that are causing the Navy concerns about future ship construction at Northrop’s shipyards along the Gulf of Mexico. “I am deeply concerned about Northrop Grumman Ship Systems’ (NGSS) ability to recover in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, particularly in regard to construction of LPD 17 Class vessel…